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Thankfully, the field for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff was set Sunday morning. Had the process lasted another week, it might have ripped the sport apart and pitted conference commissioners against each other in steel-cage matches. Not everything sparked outrage when the CFP selection committee revealed the pairings. Oregon and Georgia were the top-two seeds, as expected. Boise State, champion of the Mountain West, and Arizona State, which won the Big 12, received the No. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively, and will have opening-round byes. Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State will play home games in the opening round. But that’s where the relative peace and tranquility ended. The committee granted the final at-large berth to SMU, not Alabama, and you could instantly imagine smoke billowing from the nostrils of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. Alabama (9-3) had more quality wins and played a vastly tougher schedule than the Mustangs (11-2) but also had uglier losses than the ACC runner-up. That wasn’t the only flashpoint. Boise State was seeded higher than Arizona State despite a weaker schedule — an outcome that sends the Broncos to the Fiesta Bowl (Glendale) for their quarterfinal game and forces the Sun Devils to play in the Peach Bowl (Atlanta). The debate Sunday was simply a continuation of the past five weeks, which featured athletic directors squabbling on social media, conference commissioners squawking over resumes and the committee chair himself, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, seemingly contradicting the stated selection criteria. All of it unfolded under the threat of demolition. Two months ago, executives from the SEC and Big Ten gathered in Nashville to discuss the future of the sport. At the conclusion of the summit, Sankey, the most powerful figure in the sport, told reporters that the CFP process “just has to go incredibly well.” You did not need a master’s degree in political gamesmanship to grasp the meaning. If the SEC and Big Ten were less than satisfied with their allotments of bids and seeds, they would force changes to the selection process. Specifically, the behemoths would grant themselves a truckload of automatic bids, reduce access for the other conferences and, potentially, disband the selection committee altogether. Needless to say, the process did not go “incredibly well” for the SEC. In fact, it could not have gone much worse. In addition to Alabama’s exclusion, Tennessee lost the No. 8-9 seed showdown against Ohio State and will open the playoff in Columbus. Meanwhile, three-loss South Carolina was left out entirely one week after winning at three-loss Clemson, while the Tigers advanced to the CFP with the ACC’s automatic bid. (In the committee’s final rankings, South Carolina was one spot above Clemson.) The repercussions could ripple through the sport for years. Earlier this week, another warning flare went skyward from SEC country when Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne posted the following note on the social media platform X: “When you look at the @CFBPlayoff Principles for its Selection Committee, the first bullet point on the list of considerations is strength of schedule. Not all schedules and conferences are created equal. We’ve worked diligently to add more challenging non-conference home-and-homes, which is good for college football ...” The implication was clear: If Alabama’s schedule strength wasn’t rewarded, the Crimson Tide would rethink the merits of playing A-level non-conference games in the first half of September. Alabama faced Wisconsin this season and has booked upcoming series with Florida State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Those could be in jeopardy. Why risk the loss when the benefits of scheduling the game are limited? And if Alabama cancels marquee matchups, other SEC schools will assuredly follow — potentially sapping the sport of must-see intersectional duels that energize the September competition calendar. Asked on ESPN about the non-conference scheduling issue, Manuel, the committee chair and Michigan’s athletic director, offered the following: “I would just say, you need to schedule the games you feel are best for your team and your fan base.” Given the unprecedented nature of the season — with the expanded playoff and engorged conferences — there was no reason to expect a smooth ride from early November, when the first CFP rankings were released, through selection day. But the gaffes, misreads and contradictions by the 13-person committee were frequent and severe. Head-to-head results, schedule strength and quality wins were shoved to the background as the committee, loaded with former coaches, prioritized win-loss record. It was as if the coaches were collectively channeling their inner Lou Holtz — the former Notre Dame coach was the ultimate sandbagger — and determined a 74- point win over Western Illinois (by Indiana) was equivalent to a 15-point win at Texas (by Georgia). “One of the things we really need to do,” said Nick Saban, the ESPN analyst and former Alabama coach, “is (recognize) all wins are not the same as the other wins.” There were risks to selecting Alabama over SMU, as well. Had the committee excluded the Mustangs following their loss to Clemson in the ACC championship — on a walk-off field goal, no less — the decision would have undermined the credibility of conference title games. “The committee is going to lose no matter what they do,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. But just as not all wins are created equal, neither are all losses. Alabama’s out, the SEC is seething and major changes are coming to the CFP as a result. *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716 *** Follow me on the social media platform X: @ WilnerHotlinePonce Financial Group, Inc. Announces Participation in a Virtual Bank Conference

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NEW YORK (AP) — After acquiring Juan Soto for a one-year rental and failing to keep him as a free agent, the New York Yankees are taking the same chance with Devin Williams. New York acquired the All-Star closer from the Milwaukee Brewers for left-hander Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin on Friday. The Yankees will send $2 million to the Brewers as part of the trade. “He's a year away from free agency but someone that we’ve tried to acquire for a number of years,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “I’m sure we weren’t the only bidders here in the end.” A 30-year-old right-hander, Williams is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. He was diagnosed during spring training with two stress fractures in his back and didn’t make his season debut until July 28 . “Certainly not trying to downplay the impact the Devin had, but we feel like we still have a good amount of strength there with our bullpen,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said. Williams was 14 for 15 in save chances with a 1.25 ERA, striking out 38 and walking 11 among 88 batters over 21 2/3 innings. His fastball averaged 94.7 mph and he threw it on 53.5% of his pitches, mixing in 45% changeups — known as the “Airbender” — and around 1.5% cutters. William's 43.2% strikeout percentage was the highest in the major leagues among pitchers with at least 20 innings. “Certainly doesn’t seem to be afraid,” Cashman said. “You can’t do that job if you’re afraid of the big stage.” An All-Star in 2022 and 2023, Williams was a second-round pick in the 2013 amateur draft. He is 27-10 with a 1.83 ERA and 68 saves in 78 chances over six seasons, striking out 375 and walking 112 in 235 2/3 innings over 241 games. Milwaukee declined a $10.5 million club option in favor of a $250,000 buyout last month, making Williams eligible for arbitration. Williams joins a bullpen that includes Luke Weaver, who took over as closer from Clay Holmes in September, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton. The Yankees don’t have a left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster. “If you have right handers that can neutralize lefties, that’s a benefit. It limits your desperation for immediately a left on left,” Cashman said. Cortes, who turned 30 on Tuesday, was an All-Star in 2022 when he went 12-4 with a career-best 2.44 ERA in 28 starts. He made just one start after May 30 in 2023 because of a strained left rotator cuff and was sidelined late in the 2024 season by a flexor strain in his left elbow. He returned for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and entered in the 10th inning of the opener, retiring Shohei Ohtani on a foulout with his first pitch and giving up a game-ending grand slam to Freddie Freeman on his second. "He’s had a fully healthy offseason," Arnold said. “We expect him to come into camp ready to go as normal.” Known for his many deliveries, Cortes is 33-21 with a 3.80 ERA in 86 starts and 49 relief appearances over seven seasons. He is eligible for arbitration and also can become a free agent after next season. “He brings a real stability, I think, to our rotation,” Arnold said. “Somebody that's been a major piece of a really good championship-caliber team in the New York Yankees, I think will fit us very well, especially after the loss of Willy Adames .” New York had an excess of starters after reaching a $218 million, eight-year agreement with left-hander Max Fried that is pending. The rotation also is projected to include ace Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, with Marcus Stroman also available. Durbin, who turns 25 in February, hit .287 with 10 homers, 60 RBIs and 29 stolen bases this year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. “We just felt it was harder to acquire someone at the level of Devin Williams than it would be to try to figure out the infield circumstances,” Cashman said. Durbin was with the big league team last spring training “I think he’s a stud,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said last month. “Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond, second base. He’s really started over the last year-plus to create some position flexibility, too. He’s played some short, he’s played some third. We introduced him to some outfield this year.” Durbin hit .312 with five homers, 21 RBIs and 29 steals in 24 games at the Arizona Fall League. “We love the style of game that he brings to our team,” Arnold said. “I think that’s going to be a really nice fit with Pat Murphy's style of baseball.” Cashman said he's spoken with Scott Boras about the agent's remaining free agent clients, who include third baseman Alex Bregman and first baseman Pete Alonso. “Certainly respect the player and his ability and how much winning he’s been a part of,” Cashman said of Bregman, “but that’s about as far as I will say at this point.” This story has been corrected to note New York is sending cash to Milwaukee, not the other way around. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

ADLQ annual symposium concludesThe New York Yankees have made a significant splash in the offseason, agreeing to terms with prized free agent pitcher Max Fried on a eight-year, $218 million contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN . Specifically, Fried, a 30-year-old left-hander, joins the Yankees after spending eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves. Building on his impressive tenure with the Braves, Fried has established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the National League. Yankees Sign Land Max Fried to Lucrative Deal One of the best pitchers to emerge from the massive rebuild the Braves undertook nearly a decade ago, Fried debuted with Atlanta in 2017. As his career progressed, he spent the next few years establishing himself as one of the game’s top starters. Most notably, he will always be remembered for the six scoreless innings he provided to clinch the 2021 World Series with a Game 6 win over the Houston Astros. Fried and the Braves agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract for the 2024 season. He was 11-10 with one shutout in 29 starts, covering 174 1/3 innings. He led the NL in ground ball percentage (58.8%) while having the second-lowest exit velocity (86.3 mph). Fried posted a .325 ERA with 7.5 hits per 9 nine innings, keeping opposing batters to a .225 batting average. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.